Orphan's Wrath
by Otaku72
Summary: When the Kyuubi attacked, Mitarashi Anko's family was killed. Hiruzen, knowing that she would be able to sympathize at least a little with Naruto as he grew, asked her to adopt an infant Naruto. Raised by, as a Nara would say, one of the most troublesome women of Konoha, he is much more socially outgoing. Adventure/Romance/Humor.
1. Chapter 1

**[ A\N: Hello everybody, I am so sorry for taking so long to actually re-start Inheritance of a Jinchuriki! A lot has been going on in my life and while I'm not going to go into anything specific, the amount of time\amount of focus I've had to write has been extremely limited. But I'm here now, most of of the things have gone away, I am more focused, and I have a shiny new device of my own for fiction writing, so things ssshhooulld speed up significantly. Should. Promises are not made(Reference, is it gotten? Fame, glory. A shinobi wishes not for these things.). ]**

 **Anyway… Disclaimer! I do not own Naruto, or anything else referenced, quoted, or mentioned in this story, unless otherwise specified in my credits section at the end of each chapter. Oh, and any similarities to real life events, or persons are purely coincidental, unless I, in person, tell said persons\people-involved-with-events that it was intentional. At which point I would already have verbal\written permission to use them for fictional purposes. (Yes, I understand that this disclaimer is longer than average, but I like to have my bases covered. )**

 **Beta: CuteCat213**

 **Assisted by: Ziltoid**

And now for Chapter 1 of Orphan's Wrath! "Hold onto your butts. " *1*

* * *

 _Mitarashi Anko could do nothing but stare, the burning remains of the village she called home falling apart around her. Nothing but stare in horror at the remains of both her house and those of her family. Her mother. Father. Brother._

 _She could do nothing as the cold, dead body of her precious little brother faced her with black, haunting eyes behind broken glasses, along with those of her parents. Eyes that silently blamed her for what happened. For not being there. For letting them die. **'Why?'** they said. **'Why weren't you there? We needed you. You could have warned us. You could have saved us.'**_

 _She could do nothing as the eyes of her family tormented her in silence. Nothing but but weep. Weep in despair, torment, begging for the torment to end. But she could do nothing to bring them back. Nothing would appease them, alleviate her of their haunt. Nothing could._

 _She could only beg for the torment to stop, only beg their forgiveness. Beg them to tell her why they were doing this. As she began to black out from the sheer mental trauma, she could only say one thing. **"Stop! Stop, Kabuto-niichan!"**_

* * *

Anko awoke with a start, startling the boy embracing her as well. But he did not release her. "Naruto-kun?" she asked, trying to pull out of the blonde's hold. "Why are you-"

"I could feel the malice around you, Kaa-chan. The same malice that always comes with your nightmares," he responded. "Did you forget that I can do that?"

Anko sighed, as the boy was dead-on. He let her out of the hug, offering a reassuring smile.

She too smiled, as she always did whenever she saw him truly smile. "Thank you."

Naruto's smile grew at those two words, the gratitude spoken more through Anko's eyes than what was actually said, and the appreciation spoken through his own.

Anko looked at her alarm clock. 5:42. _'_ _Too late to go back to sleep,'_ she thought. She groaned, stretching in an effort to wake up. Naruto stood and walked to the door. Before he left the room, he looked over his shoulder.

"Remember that you leave for that mission to Nami no Kuni(Land of Waves) today. I packed your stuff and sealed it into a storage scroll, which is on the table," he said before shutting the door behind him. After the door was shut, the smile dropped. What Naruto hadn't told Anko was that the malice he sensed from her nightmares was different from that of average nightmares. Not by much, but enough to be noticeable. _'Focus on breakfast now, consider possibilities of induced nightmares later, '_ he thought.

Anko smiled as she got out of bed. Looking at the photo of her family on her dresser, she thought about her nightmare. How it wasn't untrue. But she shook her head, remembering what Naruto said when she first told him about the dreams. _'You might not have been able to save them, but that does not make what happened your fault. It was the Kyuubi no Yoko that killed your family. It was **not** your fault, Kaa-chan , believe it! '_ She placed the picture face-down, because while she knew that what Naruto said was true, she still blamed herself.

"Kaa-chan! Breakfast!" The call of promised food woke both herself from her thoughts, and her stomach. Rushing to get dressed, Anko thought about how lucky she was.

* * *

Naruto and Anko were sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast, both in their usual shinobi gear. Anko's gear consisted of fitted mesh body suit that stretches from her neck down to her thighs, a flack vest(what the chuunin and jounin wear), and a holster on her thigh with vials of various poisons. Naruto's gear consisted of an orange, long-sleeved shirt, black pants that were rolled up to end mid-shin, bandages around his lower legs, and black shinobi sandals. He also had a utility belt with scroll cases and a pouch on his back.

Anko gave Naruto a scroll. "Here, Naruto. Hokage-sama just got that to me last night. Remember that _today_ is the Genin Exam. You don't have much time to get that thing down," Anko said.

"Yes, Okaa-san," Naruto replied, his voice laced with sarcasm.

Anko twitched an eyebrow. "What was that, gaki(brat)?"

Naruto responded by twitching a finger,a flash of... Wait, ninja wire? Anko's eyes widened before she disappeared, a stick from the wood pile in the corner appearing where she had been. But nothing else happened. Naruto burst out laughing, before falling off his chair.

Anko smiled because, while she was annoyed that she had fallen for the trick, she was proud that he had pulled it off. Naruto stood up, tears of mirth coming from his eyes, grinning like a madman. "I can't believe you fell for that! and, despite your age, I'm surprised that you moved that quickly."

Anko's smile vanished, replaced by a face that promised pain. Lots and lots of pain. "What was that? 'Despite your age', I believe is what you said? And why is my age an issue with how quickly I react?"

"It isn't, Okaa-san," the boy whimpered.

"Good. Now, I have to go. You better not give Iruka-san any issues while I'm gone."

Naruto shook his head. "No, Okaa-san. No issues."

Anko gave the blonde a suspicious glare, but couldn't keep it up for long. "Alright then. Before I go, just know this; you'll do fine. Now then, I'm gone." And she was, along with her tan trench coat that had been on the back of a chair.

Naruto sighed, slumping over in relief. _'Well, that's one crises avoided,'_ He thought as he finished his food and picked up his own scroll, dropping it into a case on his belt. As he walked out the door, he slipped into his jacket, but left it unzipped. It was black, short-sleeved, had a half-collar and a red Uzumaki symbol on the back(similar to what Sasuke wears pre-shippuden, but with a shorter collar. As opposed to what he wears in canon.).

* * *

Iruka stood waiting for his students to arrive, sharpening a kunai because he ended up being three hours early. A few minutes later, his surrogate brother walked into the classroom, surprising him. He never would have thought that Naruto would be someone to arrive at school 10 minutes early, much less three _hours_ early. But what really took the cake was that when he sat down, he took out a scroll, opened it, and started reading. _Naruto_ had come to school _early_ and was _studying._

Iruka smiled. _'Finally, something's gotten through that thick skull,'_ He thought, looking at his surrogate brother. Iruka walked up to Naruto, who looked over his shoulder at the chuunin.

"Since when do you come to class early? Or study, for that matter," Iruka asked.

The thoughtfulness in Naruto's face was replaced by a blank expression that would make a Hyuga envious. "Whatever could you be referring too, Iruka-Sensei?"

Iruka's brow furrowed. "OK, now I know something's up. What happened?"

Naruto sighed. "You're not letting this go, are you?"

Iruka shook his head. "No, I'm not. So you might as well te-"

Naruto's cut him off. "I'll explain after the Exams, for now just focus on those. I believe I'm up against Sasuke first in taijutsu. That should be the perfect time."

Iruka frowned some more, confused by the non-specific, cryptic explanation that brought confusion rather than understanding. "Well that explanation was all kinds of helpful, wasn't it?"

Naruto smiled. "You're welcome, Nii-Sensei."

Iruka shook his head, chuckling. "You enjoy pranks too much."

"Nu-uh, no such thing," came the immediate response.

Iruka raised an eyebrow at the blonde. "Really? Well, have fun getting out of your chair," he said before returning to his own seat.

Naruto just chuckled. Before Iruka sat, Naruto smirked at the glue-covered chair. That was now under Iruka's butt. And had been were Naruto was currently sitting a few minutes prior.

* * *

When Anko entered the office of Konohagakure's Hokage, she wasn't expecting anything specific. She was _not_ , however, expecting to see him sitting in the corner of the room reading a little green book with a nose bleed.

"Hokage-sama? Jounin Mitarashi Anko, reporting for the recon. mission to Gatō Enterprises in Nami no Kuni."

The mighty Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, Sarutobi Hiruzen twitched, looking up at Anko with the face of a child whose hand had been caught in the cookie jar. Or that of a teenager with his hand down his pants.

Hiruzen Substituted with a scroll from his desk, and quickly hid the book in that desk. His back turned, he tried to maintain some minute amount of dignity. He failed, of course, but he tried.

"Ah, thank you. Your mission briefing is on the... desk. Wait, no. I'm sorry. It's on the floor in the corner. My apologies. Contained within are details about the specific crimes Gatō is suspected of and the kinds of evidence we need to prove those suspicions, as well as your cover story."

The kunoichi was still perplexed as to why the Hokage was sitting in the corner of his office, but then she remembered where she'd seen the book before. "Is Jiraiya-sama still sending you limited editions, then?"

Hiruzen remained silent, but it was quite obvious that he was blushing as his ears were red. A few moments later, a smirking, black-haired kunoichi left the office of a blushing Hokage.

* * *

As the prospective shinobi entered the classroom, Naruto watched his peers, looking for a certain someone. _'There!'_ He thought, spotting a flash of indigo. Before he could do anything, a girl clad in a tan coat and shinobi pants appeared.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun. "

Naruto smiled gently. "Good morning, Hinata-chan. I'm glad that you decided to take the Exams, after all. "

She blushed, but nodded all the same. She let out a squeak of surprise as Naruto suddenly rested his forehead against her's.

"Huh, no fever. Are you OK, Hinata-chan?"

"Hai(Yes). Arigato(Thanks), Naruto-kun. "

Naruto just laughed. "What?" She asked.

"Your face! Oh, it's priceless! " he said, mirthful tears coming from his eyes for a second time that morning.

"N-naruto-kun! I t-thought t-that I asked you to stop teasing me like that!" She exclaimed, indignant.

"Hai, you did. Gomen(Sorry), "he said, trying, and failing, not to laugh.

Hinata just pouted at him. "You know, one of these days someone will take exception to these pranks of yours, and I'm not gonna feel sorry for you. "

"H-hey, Hinata-chan! That's just mean!"

She looked away. "Hmph. It would be well deserved. "

" _Ahg_ , why can't you two just kiss and be done with it?" A voice said from behind.

Naruto whirled to face the voice. "Ino!" He exclaimed with feigned surprise, having already known that she had been there. "Not to steal Shikamaru-san's line, but do you always have to show up at the most troublesome times?"

"N-Naruto-kun, she does have a point," Hinata spoke hesitantly.

Naruto turned to gawk at her. "Umm, Hinata-chan? You do realize what you're saying, right?"

She covered her mouth, covering the grin on her face before he could see it. "Hinata-chan?"

Not being able to hold it in any longer, Hinata burst out into hysterical laughter. Naruto's face just grew even more confused, making Ino join in Hinata's hysteria.

Then Naruto realized what, or, rather _who_ they were laughing at, and grimaced with a "hmph".

"You guys are mean. "

"Heh, I keep telling you, Naruto-san. Women are too troublesome to bother with. "

Ino stopped laughing long enough to turn to Shikamaru and smile. "And _I_ keep telling _you_ that you won't always have that opinion. "

Shikamaru grimaced. "Yeah, you do. But it's way too troublesome to listen. "

Ino raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

Shikamaru's eyes opened wide. "Oh, no. " And with that, Ino was dragging him to another desk.

Naruto shook his head, sorry for his friend, but thankful for getting him out of the torment of the two kunoichi. "Although, now that I think about it, you're right. "

Hinata turned to face him again. "Eh?"

Naruto grinned mischievously. "She _does_ have a point. "

Hinata glared at him, a slight blush forming on her face, cheeks puffing out a bit.

"Alright. Alright," he said, in an attempt to placate her. "I'll stop. "

Iruka put his kunai away, getting ready to start the class. "Alright class, quiet down. Today we-" He broke off as he stood up, only to have the chair come with, attached to his butt.

The students of his class blinked at the sight before they, each and everyone of them, turned to look at Naruto. He looked up from the scroll he had gone back to reading.

"Don't look at me, he's the one who put the glue on the chair. I just swapped his original seat with that one. It's what happens when you try to prank Konoha's prank master." He went back to his scroll.

The class now turned to face their sensei."Yeah, he's telling the truth." The classroom full of prospective shinobi sweat-dropped at the sight of their sensei being defeated by the class's dead-last.

* * *

"Will Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, please step forward. "

Both boys stepped the ring, smirking in confidence.

"What are you grinning about?" Sasuke asked, falling into his taijutsu stance.

"You'll see. " was the response from Naruto, who just stood there.

Iruka looked at them, making sure they were both ready. "Begin!"

* * *

 **[A/N: So, yeah. Finally got this done, not sure when I'll have the next chapter up. . . So yeah. Comment, review, or otherwise let me know what you think. ]**

First fiction that I recommend: The Honored Guest by Ziltoid, ID#10617730. It is fantastic and one of the first Naruto fan-fictions that I read.

Footnotes:

1\. "Hold onto your butts." Samuel Jackson in the first Jurassic Park.


	2. Chapter 2

**[A\N: Hey, I am so sorry for taking so long to get this chapter out, I have many reasons as to why this happened, a few being that: 1. Literally two days after I posted the first chapter my tablet broke and I had no internet connection except for school 'till now. 2. I am also working on a novel series while I'm writing this and I had a ton of plot ideas for it and now have the basic plot for the first two books(yay!). 3. Life's a b!tch, and I've had some issues with my step-father since around November, and ended up moving out completely. During that time, i was barely motivated to write anything, much less focus on a single story, which I am very sorry for. Feel free to tell me how sorry I am in the reviews, the more input, the quicker I write. That being said, I have not been idle while away. I have most of the Wave Mission, Chuunin Exams, and Tsunade Retrieval Arcs planned, all-in-all I've reached over 5 thousand words(5,373 words, to be exact) of planning plus everything that I don't have written down. I also have a request at the end of the chapter, so please do read the AN there. But, excuses aside, I am** _ **really**_ **sorry for taking so long to get this up. I am deeply grateful for your patience. And now for the chapter. Enjoy. ]**

 **Beta-Reader: Cutecat213**

 **Assisted by: Ziltoid**

 **Disclaimer: Another reason that I'm late with the chapter is that I was executing a plan to gain ownership of Naruto… Which obviously failed, as I wouldn't be publishing this on FFn if it hadn't. :p Or maybe it did and I'm using FFn as an Alpha for the reboot of the manga… You never know. It's possible. . .**

 _Third-person omniscient._

* * *

" _Will Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke please step forward. "_

 _Both boys stepped into the ring, smirking with confidence._

" _What are you grinning about?" Sasuke asked, settling into his taijutsu stance._

" _You'll see~" Naruto taunted, not bothering to change his stance._

 _Iruka looked between them, making sure that they were both ready. "Begin!"_

* * *

Sasuke sprang forward, a fist flying toward Naruto's face. With a grin, Naruto simply leaned to the side to dodge the punch. Not losing any momentum, Sasuke followed up with a kick close behind and Naruto raised an arm to block the strike coming toward his shoulder. He countered by head-butting Sasuke in the face, stunning the Uchiha heir with a broken nose, and spun into a kick of his own, sending him flying with a devastating blow to the other boy's gut.

Sasuke managed to land on his feet and looked around frantically for his opponent; he wasn't there. Sasuke looked up just in time to catch sight of Naruto's foot as he slammed his heel into the top of the young Uchiha's head. Sasuke hit the ground face first. Hard.

The rest of the class was silent throughout the 'fight', until Sakura chose that moment to pipe up. "Wha– how? Iruka-sensei, Naruto-baka cheated! There's no other way that he could beat Sasuke-kun!"

Every other girl in the class started shouting similar things of outrage, sans Hinata and Ino. Iruka tried to calm the girls down, but ended up using the Big Head no Jutsu. "PIPE DOWN!"

"It's alright, Nii-sensei. It's natural to question the legitimacy of a match when the worst student beats the number one," Naruto said, trying to prove a point. "But, at the same time, Sakura-san, we're _shinobi._ Cheating comes with the territory, so even if I _had_ cheated, it wouldn't be cheating. It would be creativity. "

"No, I won't believe that _you_ can beat Sasuke-kun without cheating. And even if what you say about cheating is true, _you_ are not a shinobi, and never will–" Before Sakura could finish, Hinata slapped her clear across the face.

"I-I mi-might not be a-able st-tand up f-f-for mys-self, but I w-ill _not_ allow y-you to sland-der Naruto-k-kun!" Hinata stuttered fiercely, trembling– whether from anger or nervousness wasn't clear.

Sakura looked at Hinata, stunned. That shock did not last long, however, as it quickly turned into anger. "You did _not_ just do that. "

Hinata straightened slightly before answering. "I d-did, and-d I'll d-do it ag-gain, if-f I ha-ve t-to. "

Sakura balled a hand into a fist and started to raise it. "You'll regret th–"

Before her fist could connect with the Hyuuga, it stopped short, clenched firmly in the un-blemished hand of Uzumaki Naruto. A deceptively calm Uzumaki Naruto.

"I have tolerated your abuse and 'slander', as Hinata-chan put it–" Hinata blushed, "–but I will _not_ tolerate you bringing any harm to those I care about, no matter how small. " As Naruto spoke, his grip tightened on Sakura until pops could be heard coming from in his hand.

"Naruto, that's enough. " Iruka interrupted, stepping toward the blonde and pinkette. Naruto released Sakura's wrist, leaving it bruised, and stepped away. "And Sakura, I won't have you insulting or intentionally harming your classmates and future comrades. "

"He will _never_ be my comrade," Sakura snarled, her voice touched by the tell-tale signs of pain, tears of that pain, and anger, in her eyes. "It's not like he'll ever be a ninja, he doesn't even train. Look at his hands! They're as soft and smooth as a baby's!"

"Sakura!" Iruka barked.

"It's alright, Nii-sensei. After all, she's right. To be comrades we would _both_ have to pass. It's not like she will, 'cause apparently I won't pass and I could beat her with one hand. " Naruto shrugged.

Iruka gave him a hard look. "Naruto. "

The blonde sighed, before turning to Sakura with a short bow. "Sorry, that comment was discourteous and beneath me. "

Iruka sighed, accepting it as the best he was going to get before turning to the two kunoichi. "You too, Hinata, Sakura. "

"Sorry," came the responses.

"Alright. Since this is the day of the Exams, your punishments will be suspended until the results are confirmed. The next match will be Choji vs…"

Naruto tuned out Iruka's voice as Shikamaru and Ino approached. "Thanks for sticking up for me, Hinata-chan. "

She blushed, but gave a confident nod. "W-what are friends for?"

"Oh, I don't know. You guys act like you're a little bit closer than friends," Ino said, eyebrow raised.

Hinata blushed some more, while Naruto just sighed. "You know what, Ino-san?" he asked. "You read into things way too much. "

Ino responded by sticking her tongue out at him. "Ino-san! I'm shocked that you would undergo such unladylike behaviour!" Naruto exclaimed.

Ino gave him a flat stare. "You think you're funny, don't you?"

Naruto gaped at her, offense spread across his face. "Excuse me? I am _not_ funny. _I_ am hilarious. "

Hinata giggled, Ino sighed, having left herself wide open for the comment, and Shikamaru just rolled his eyes, despite the grin plastered to his face that was as clear as his love for clouds.

* * *

"Alright, you have fifteen minutes left to finish your tests," Mizuki said from where he stood at the podium. Just as he was going back to his book, he heard soft _snoring_.

Looking up at the source, he was unsurprised to find that Naruto and Shikamaru were the origins of the disturbance. Sighing, he walked over to the napping boys and picked up their tests, quickly glancing at them. He had to check Naruto's again as he hadn't seen a single incorrect answer on either sheet. _Nope, not seeing things._ Mizuki looked at the blonde again before shaking his head, putting it down to being a fluke, or him having copied off of the Nara's test.

Hinata, having seen Mizuki's expression, smiled softly at the boy next to her. "Good job, Naruto. "

The supposedly sleeping boy grinned. "Thanks. "

"Eeep-" came the meek response.

The hidden prodigy cracked an eye open at her, raising a questioning eyebrow. "What, did you think I would miss the look on his face when he saw my test?"

Hinata blushed, not exactly something new. "Well, your acting was very convincing. "

"It wouldn't have had to be to fool that idiot, but I felt that it would be prudent to be more careful than necessary," the blonde said with a smile. "But, more importantly, what are we doing about your father?"

Hinata looked at Naruto with confusion. "We?"

Naruto opened his eyes completely to look at her in a reproaching manner. "What do you mean, 'we'? What, did you think I would let you talk to him on your own after what you've told me about him?"

"I–" she swallowed the knot she felt forming in her throat and looked down at her hands, which were clasped in her lap.

Naruto looked at her, concern etched across his features. "Would you like me to be there?"

Hinata looked up. "I'm s-sorry?"

Naruto sat up. "Would you, Hinata," he began, pointing at the Hyuga, "like me, Naruto," he pointed at himself, "to help you talk to your father after the exam?"

The indigo-haired heiress blushed again, but nodded all the same. "Yes, please. "

He smiled. "Don't worry, it's not like we'll be telling him that you failed the exam. "

She looked up at him, surprised. "H-how can y-you be s-so sur-re?"

Naruto patted her head, drawing out the frustrated blush-pout that he found so cute, which, in turn, brought a faint smile to his own lips. "Because it's you we're talking about. "

* * *

As the students filed up to the front of the class to turn in their test sheets, Naruto tugged on Hinata's sleeve. "Can you and Ko-san wait for me outside, I need to talk to Nii-san before lunch. "

Hinata nodded. "Hai, Naruto-kun. What about?"

Naruto grinned. "My apparent lack of skill and the repercussions of my 'actions', most likely. "

Hinata shook her head. "Try not to break him. "

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Who, me? Make someone's head hurt? Never. See you in a bit. "

As Hinata filed out of the classroom along with the rest of the students, Iruka came up behind Naruto. "So, what's the story there?

"Story where?" Naruto looked up at Iruka.

"Don't give me that. You know what I'm talking about. Hinata. How did you two get so close?"

"Ah," was Naruto's clever response. "Well, that's actually quite the story. It was about four years ago, now. Kaa-chan was away on a mission at the time, and because of that, these three civilian brats decided it would be the day to 'put me in my place', so to speak. "

 _ ***FlashBack***_

Three kids stood around Naruto, who was on the ground, face down in the dirt.

"So what, brat!? What are you gonna do? You can't touch me, my dad's an important merchant under the employment of Gato of Nami no Kuni! If I have so much as a scratch when I go home, you'll be in serious trouble," spat the eldest of the three kids as he kicked Naruto in the gut.

"It's almost like he likes being beaten up! " the second kid laughed, launching a kick at Naruto's face.

"Then maybe we should oblige him some m- " the third kid started to say as he raised a foot to stomp on Naruto, but was interrupted by a sharp pain on the back of his head in the form of a thrown pebble. "Who threw that!?"

As he whipped around, looking for the offender, he only found a pale, timid girl in a tan coat. "Y-you sh-should-dn't b-beat up oth-ther p-peop-ple li-like th-that, " she mumbled just loud enough for Naruto's keen hearing to make out the words. The three civilian children were, however, either fortunate enough, or unlucky, depending on how you looked at it, to not have a massive demon fox stuck in their minds that came with nifty little bonuses like enhanced senses, and thus did not hear what the Hyuuga muttered.

The oldest glared at her. "What was that, didn't quite catch what you said. "

Hinata flinched, looking away. "S-sto-p-p h-hiting N-nar-ruto. "

As the three that had been beating Naruto up surrounded the timid indigo-haired girl, Naruto felt the world slow. Colors sharpened and sounds and scents grew more clear, and a entirely new sensation flooded his mind. The three bullies simply _felt_ wrong. And just as they felt dark, the timid girl was just the opposite, almost blinding this new sense with the purity that was absent from the other three kids. It was profound and awkward, like learning to walk.

As all of these thoughts rushed through his mind, the first fist connected with the Hinata's cheek. Naruto heard a deep, inhuman snarl, only identifiable as his own voice the source of the vibrations, Naruto's own throat.

The air suddenly reeked of fear as the three civilian bullies caught sight of Naruto. His body, now completely healed from the various bruises and scrapes it had collected, rose to a four legged crouch and lunged at the nearest bully. He couldn't have dodged even if he'd had the time to try. His face simply fit right into Naruto's hand as the punch flung him into the bully behind him and they both slammed into the tree ten yards( **I am American, deal** ) away. Hunched over, Naruto turned to the third bully, and the scent of fear was overpowered by the scent of a toilet. One step towards him later, he was crumpled on the ground, unconscious and in a puddle of his own urine.

 _ ***Normal PoV***_

"It was like I was sensing her existence, what she was, _who_ she was. At the same time, I experienced how corrupt, violent, and hateful the kids were, in the same profound way that I felt and understood Hinata. And I lost it. A desire to protect her, to protect the peaceful, innocent being before me from corruption just… swept over me. It surged through my mind, and there was nothing but that desire. It came just as suddenly as the moment of feeling, and I could do just as much to stop it. I can't explain it, I don't understand it to begin with. "

Naruto put his head in his hands. "I don't know what happened to me. I don't understand…"

' _You might not understand, but I think I do. The seal must be weakening, allowing the Kyuubi to influence Naruto. What I don't get is why the demon would want to protect Hinata,'_ Iruka thought to himself. ' _I'll need to inform Hokage-sama about this. "_ Iruka shook his head. "So. "

Naruto looked back up at him. "So. . . what?"

" _So_ , do I get an explanation about this morning and what happened during your taijutsu match?"

"Ah, that. " Again, another clever response. ' _Man, I need to work on my responses. They're starting to lack finesse,'_ thought Naruto. "I've been training outside of class, with Kaa-chan and Kakashi-sensei, by myself, and with Hinata-chan, Shika. Mostly focusing on taijutsu, stealth, tracking, and poisons. Kaa-chan and Kakashi-sensei tried to teach me how to walk up trees… but that didn't end well. Not one bit. "

Iruka was so dumbfounded that he could only ask one thing. "Why?"

"Why? Why, what? Why did I train outside of the Academy, an Academy that did more to hinder my abilities than nurture them, aside from you? Or why did I choose to hide my true talents and how hard I truly worked to get as good as I am? The answer to the second one is I've just been hiding my true abilities, as I am a shinobi, and to quote the textbook, 'Fame, Glory; a shinobi pursues not these things. ' So it's only natural that I would hide my skills until the last moment. Besides, the slap in the face that everyone who ever doubted me is going get will feel so good. Right as I save their asses. Don't know when, but this pseudo-peace we've had for years can't last. As for how strong I actually am, I estimate myself to be about equal to a high-level genin or a low-level chuunin in overall ability. I have the stamina of an Anbu easy, the taijutsu of an upper-level genin, my chakra capacity is equal-to or greater-than Jii-san's, but my chakra control is comparable to a civilian. "

Iruka blinked at this information and winced. "Damn, Naruto. You're going to give them one hell of a backhand. " ' _Well, this explains why he can out-run Anbu,_ ' He thought, before frowning. "Wait, does this mean that Hinata knows, whether consciously or not, how skilled Naruto is?" He muttered.

"Yeah, we train together. I said that," Naruto said, frowning. "I think she watches me train on my own, too. I suspect that she's brought me home a few times, too, because I've collapsed from exhaustion but woken up in bed the next morning anyway. Kaa-chan won't tell me anything about it, either. Maybe I'll ask Hinata. . . ," Naruto said, the last part him thinking aloud, and looked up from his scroll. ". . . Didn't I tell you? My senses are on par with those of an Inuzuka, if not even more keen. "

Iruka just shook his head in exasperation. "No, Naruto, you didn't tell me that. "

* * *

Hiruzen had finally gotten over his little 'encounter' with Konoha's Snake Mistress, getting back to finalizing the genin teams that would be formed the next day. While he worked, he felt a presence come through the window behind him to the left.

"Hello, Dog," said Hiruzen as he turned around. "For once you actually have good timing, I needed to discuss your removal from ANBU and resumption of active duty. Specifically as a Genin Sensei. "

Dog answered with a quick and simple-"Sure. "

Hiruzen blinked in surprise and confusion, having expected a declination and a long, drawn-out attempt to get him to take a Genin team. "Really?"

Dog sighed. "No, I'm totally going to pass on the chance to teach my nephew. What did you think I'd say? Of course I will, so long as I get to have Naruto. Which, if you know me at all, you will have planned on offering for me to teach him to get me to come back. "

Hiruzen looked down at the team list in his hands. "Ummm… yes?"

Dog snatched the sheet out of his hands. "Let's see… Team 7- Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Aburame Shino. Team 8- Yuhi Kurenai, Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Uzumaki Naruto. " Dog looked up at Hiruzen. "How, might I ask, were you planning on getting me to take this team and allowing Kurenai-san to take Naruto, who has almost no skill with chakra manipulation and, therefore, genjutsu?"

Hiruzen started to sweat. "Ummm. . . "

But Dog wasn't finished yet. "I'm not sure if you knew, but I've been training Naruto outside of the Academy. Both Anko-chan and I have, actually. Do you know what happened when we tried to teach him the tree walking exercise? He took one step up the tree and then he just wasn't there. Neither was the tree. We found him two hours later 15 miles from Konoha unconscious on the shore of a new lake on the Great River. And you're trying to teach him genjutsu?"

"So that's what that was. I got all kinds of complaints when that happened… three months ago?"

"Four, actually. Anyway, do you see my point?"

Hiruzen sighed. "Yes, I do. So, who do you want?"

"Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru. No one else. "

"That was quick. "

"They're already close friends, their teamwork is top-notch. They complement each other's abilities nicely and form a well-balanced team. Naruto has a Lightning Affinity just like his dad, Hinata has a Water Affinity, like Hitomi, and while Shikamaru's chakra coils aren't developed enough to be sure, I think he might have an Earth Affinity. I, too, have a Lightning Affinity, I am also fairly skilled with Water, and I also have a secondary Earth Affinity," he said, listing off the benifits of them forming a squad under his tutelage. Dog looked back up at the Hokage. "I don't see the problem with my choices, aside from everyone else's teams likely being a little screwed up and the Council probably wanting me to take the Uchiha, who you can give to Kurenai. I have been giving training tips to all three of these kids for a year. I've had time to think. "

Hiruzen nodded. "I see what you mean. Very well, you may have your team. Anko'd likely kill me if I didn't. "

* * *

[ **A\N: Yes, I understand that some of you are going to be wondering why Hiruzen already had the results of the exam when it hadn't even been completed and, to answer that question, I will ask another question. Annoying, I know. Do you really think that they could go over the results and form the teams overnight, especially with all the political BS that was in canon and is in OW? So yeah, the exam is really just a formality in the grand scheme of things. If anyone needs a more detailed explanation, feel free to post a review or PM me to ask for any explanations and I will answer any questions that you have. Within reason.**

 **There was some trouble with a few parts of the chapter, and if I could have you, the readers' input, it would help tons. Anything at all, chapter length, update speed(not much I can do about this, but I can try), plot ideas, anything. Thanks for reading, let me know what you guys think~**

 **And again, I apologize profusely for being so late, have no excuse, and greatly appreciate your patience. I can make no promises as to when the next chapter will be in, except that I will do my absolute best to make sure that it doesn't take as long as this one did. And good news, OW has been added to a community! I know that may seem unimportant, but this is quite literally my second ff ever. So yeah, landmarks. Speaking of landmarks, OW also has it's first flame review. Fun. Eh, it's FF . net, what're you gonna do? They don't have the balls to comment from their profile, pay 'em no mind. See y'all next time. Sepron, and C-2, out. ]**

Second fiction recomendation, CuteCat213's own Naruto fic: The Golden Rose of Konoha. ID: 11224775.


End file.
